316 Proceedings of the Boyal Irish Academy. 



1197. From what source Ware derived his information I do not know. 1 But 

 he must have had some authority ; and his statement is confirmed by the 

 Annals of Lough Ge, which under that year place the death of Ua Maoil 

 Ciarain, Bishop of Uriel. 2 We may assume therefore with little hesitation 

 that Cristin's immediate successor in the bishopric of Uriel was Maelisa Ua 

 Maoil Ciarain (O'Mulkerin), and that he died in 1197. Whether his see was 

 at Louth or at Clogher we need not inquire. It suffices for our purpose that 

 his name was not Thomas, and that consequently the charter of which 

 Thomas, Bishop of Clogher, is a witness, cannot be earlier than 1197. 



There can be no doubt that by the year 1218 the see of the diocese had 

 been transferred from Louth to Clogher, for under that year is recorded in 

 the Annals the death of Gilla Tigernaigh MacKilronan, Bishop of Clogher. 

 From 1218 onwards the see has always been at Clogher, and we have a long 

 list of bishops of that place, the substantial accuracy of which can scarcely 

 be disputed. It is a curious fact, however, that no Bishop of Clogher, early 

 or late, has hitherto been known who bore the name of Thomas. Where 

 can we find a place in the succession for the Thomas, Bishop of Clogher, of 

 our Charter ? Most probably before Gilla Tigernaigh MacKilronan. It is true 

 indeed that the few years following the death of MacKilronan, are not closed 

 against him, for we do not know the date of the consecration of Donough 

 O'Fury, who was translated to Armagh in 1227 3 ; and it is just possible that 

 he was not the immediate successor of MacKilronan. But an examination 

 of the names of the other witnesses will show it to be very unlikely that the 

 Charter can be as late as 1218 



In a former paper' I argued that the date of the grant of Bishop Cristin 

 to Peter Pipard, referred to above, is 1187, or the spring of 1188. I was 

 obliged, however, to admit that it might be somewhat later. I may claim to 

 have established the fact that it was executed before the last occasion on 

 which Gilbert Pipard and Bertram de Verdun were together in Ireland. But 

 though I showed that Verdun left this country, probably for the last time, 

 in June, 1188, and that Pipard had settled in England by September, 1189 ) 

 I was unable to give rigorous proof that Verdun did not occasionally re-visit 

 Ireland, or that he could not have met Pipard there late in 1188 or in the 



1 The only document which he cites is an instrument of which there is a copy in the 

 Crede Milii (ed. Gilbert, p. 70}. It is a release of M., Bishop of Louth, to John (Comyn), 

 Arch bishop of Dublin (1182-1212). So far as I can see there is nothing to show that 

 this M. may not be Maelisa O'Carroll (Bishop of Louth, ] 1187). 



2 In Proceedings, I.e., p. 30, note 9, I displayed unnecessary scepticism about this 

 entry in the Annals. I had not taken account of Ware's obviously independent evidence. 



3 Cod. of Close Rolls, 1224, p. 201. 

 ' Proceedings, I.e., p. 32f. 



